When it comes to augmented reality (AR) videogames, most people will immediately think of Niantic’s Pokemon Go. That may be set to change, as initial revenue numbers for Next Games’ The Walking Dead: Our World reveal a promising start.
According to a market analysis from Sensor Tower, The Walking Dead: Our World has been downloaded over 1.7 million times, and has reached $8 million (USD) in just 55 days.
The full analysis shows that the US market have contributed the most towards this revenue stream, with 40% of worldwide spending on the title coming from the USA. Germany comes in a distant second, with 14% of revenue coming from German players.
The Walking Dead: Our World functions in a similar way to Pokemon Go, allowing players to see zombies lurking around the real-world streets, where they can be fought either solo or as part of a friends group. There are weekly missions to complete which offer specific rewards, and in addition to killing zombies, players can also rescue survivors and set out to collect character or weapon cards.
The title is powered by Google Maps, which lets the action be specific to your real-world location, even featuring famous landmarks like the Statue of Liberty of the London Eye.
Though the $8 million figure in less than two months is impressive, some critics have pointed out that The Walking Dead: Our World has a smaller potential audience, since the level of violence will make it less accessible for younger or more sensitive players. Others have indicated that the level of The Walking Dead-related media currently available risks putting the fan base at saturation point.
The Walking Dead: Our World could be compared to a similar mobile AR title, Jurassic World Alive, which has amassed 7.6 million downloads by its second month of release, showing $25 million in revenue by its third month.
For future coverage of The Walking Dead: Our World and other AR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.